CalFresh 2025 emergency allotments vs. regular benefits - what's happening now?

same thing my sister asked me!! i told her those extra benefits ended like 2 yrs ago i think?? regular amounts only now far as i know

The emergency allotments that gave everyone the maximum benefit amount for their household size ended back in early 2023. CalFresh is only providing regular benefit amounts now based on your income, expenses, and household size. There are no plans to bring back emergency allotments as of 2025. However, there was a cost-of-living adjustment in October 2024, so your regular amount might be slightly higher than last year. If you're struggling, you might want to report any changes that could increase your benefits - like higher rent, childcare costs, or medical expenses for seniors/disabled household members.

YOUR NEIGHBOR IS WRONG!!!! The extra SNAP ended YEARS ago and they are NOT bringing it back! I was so mad when they stopped it, my benefits went from $835 to $341 overnight!!! And prices are HIGHER now than during covid but they don't care about us. Call your county and ask about any local food banks instead because CalFresh doesn't go far enough anymore.

I had this exact same question last month because my aunt mentioned something about extra benefits. I spent TWO DAYS trying to get through to my county CalFresh office to ask! Kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person in like 20 minutes. They called the county line for me and when a worker answered, they connected me. Worker confirmed there's no emergency allotments anymore, just regular benefits. So your neighbor is confused. If you need to talk to your county office about anything like reporting changes to get more benefits, check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 or go to claimyr.com. Way better than waiting on hold for hours.

There's some confusion because some states have their own supplemental programs separate from federal SNAP. California doesn't currently have a state supplement though. What can help is making sure ALL your expenses are reported - housing, utilities, childcare, medical for elderly/disabled family members. Many people don't report childcare expenses which can make a big difference. At your next SAR7 or recertification, list every expense! And make sure you're getting the utility allowance too.

i heard on tiktok some counties giving extra in february but idk if thats true or not my worker never tells me nothing lol

my mom got some kinda extra payment last month but it was from social security not calfresh i think theres some confusion abt different programs maybe??

Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I'm going to call tomorrow and report both my rent increase and childcare expenses - had no idea those could help increase my benefits! I appreciate all the advice and clarification about the emergency allotments no longer being available. At least now I can budget accurately knowing exactly what to expect.